Gallus gallus Raw sequence reads. Gallus gallus

Broodiness, an instinct for natural breeding in poultry, is strictly controlled by the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis and usually associated with cessation of egg laying. Therefore, it is essential for commercial poultry industry to clarify the molecular regulation mechanism of broodiness. Here, we used high-throughput sequencing technology to examine the pituitary transcriptome of Changshun green-shell laying hen, a local breed in Guizhou province, China, with strong broodiness, in two reproductive stages, including egg-laying phase (LP) and brooding phase (BP), analyze the differences in gene expression during the transition from egg-laying to broodiness, and identify critical pathways and candidate genes involved in controlling the broodiness in pituitary.